Boron is a known additive for glass, and can be used to adjust the properties of a material. For example, boron can enhance the strength and thermal properties of silicate glass when used as an additive, such as in Pyrex™ glassware.
In other circumstances, boron can be used to make dissolvable glass, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,430,174 (Holderman et al.) entitled “Anhydrous boron-based timed delay plugs”, which describes the use of dissolvable glass parts made from anhydrous boron to be used for downhole applications in hydrocarbon-producing wells. In particular, dissolvable parts may be particularly useful in selective fracturing tools, which allow pressure to be selectively applied to a downhole formation in order to stimulate production. One type of selective fracturing tool commonly used in the industry allows for multistage fracturing. These tools involve the use of different sizes of balls or parts that are pumped downhole to open a particular stage in the fracturing tool. Once the fracturing operation is complete, the balls must be removed, which is generally done by various methods such as by drilling the balls out, backpressure suction, or backpressure release after hold pressure is completed. The use of a dissolving ball would avoid the need to retrieve the balls and the associated costs and difficulties.